Journey Home
by CheeseHat
Summary: Jules Augustine has been living in two worlds all her life but ever since her 10th birthday, everything changed. Only 14, her parents decided to bring her to a mental institution where she would be spending her life for the unforeseeable future. On her 16th birthday, she is transported to a different world, leaving her doubting where she really belongs. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

"_It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live_"

- Albus Dumbledore

* * *

The world is held by a thin line between reality and dreams. One step out of the line could give you powers unimaginable. But just one step could also make you lose everything, your humanity, and even your sanity.

I was balancing myself in between for quite a long time. For years, I lived normally believing both in reality and in my dreams.

But something happened during my tenth birthday. Someone gave me the book that made me inclined to believe all too much in dreams and fantasy.

It was the best gift I ever received in my entire life.

For years, I've been living in the same dreams, looking out at reality, never truly seeing. Everywhere I looked, I always managed to make a way and link it to the new world I lived in.

Call me crazy, but I _was _crazy. For a while.

At least, I think for a while.

One day when I was fourteen, my parents decided to take unnecessary action upon me. Men and women in white clothing surged into our door with a white van's engine humming by the road behind them. It looked like an ambulance. Mum and Dad hugged me and told me everything will be alright.

They were crying. I was not.

I gave them a wan smile and said good bye. I believed they had a reason for me to go. I knew what these men and women were here for and I didn't fight.

I was a good girl. The nurses milling around the place didn't seem to get what I was there for and gave me cursory glances whenever they stopped to give me dinner or when I was sitting in a circle with the other teens in this Institution. But the doctors knew better.

I've always like to think of this place as a school where people learned to take better control of their lives, but every night, I heard screaming ringing through the hollow halls of the Institution and I would be reminded of where I really was as I lay down on my cot in my cell, listening to their screams as it faded and faded away. They called my cell a room but I liked to think it was a cell in the dungeons of a school. I insisted on a calling it a cell when it was obviously too cozy to be a cell with a pot of flowers on the window sill and a little cuckoo clock on the wall facing my cot.

Days, months, and years blended into undecipherable mush in the Institution, but every 2nd of August, they never failed to sing me a derisive chorus of "Happy Birthday". Even the old man who sits at the corner in the group therapy room joins in. And every 2nd of August, my parents never failed to come and bring me cake and a big present.

I would be turning 16 the next day. I was sitting by the window sill, the blinds closed to block the heat of summer coming in. I was talking to Dr. Orwell in one of my one-on-one therapy sessions. His sessions often left me in a bad mood once we were over. He simply refused to believe me when I told him magic existed. He tried to calm me down and I did but I was fuming.

People and their closed minds..

No matter, all I knew was that I was happy in my own world and my parents would be coming by tomorrow. I wonder if they got me what I've always asked for every year. Imagining myself in my very own Gryffindor robes made my skin flush with color and my cheeks bloom red with excitement.

It was going to be a sweet sixteen.

* * *

**Hey guys! This is a new fanfic I am making and I hope you guys like it.  
**

**I know the plot seems kind of unclear now but some light will be shed in later chapters. And I know the main character is kind of loco, but that's how I wanted her to be and I hope people don't that Potterheads are really like that. I don't really know but I think most haven't completely lost their feels.**

**Anyway, hope you like it and please review! Constructive criticism is much appreciated!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ohana means family. And family means nobody gets left behind. Or _forgotten_."  
- **Lilo and Stitch**

* * *

Mum and Dad arrived during breakfast and I beamed up at them from my plate in bed. I was eager to spend the whole day with them. The usual cake greeted me as they sung a little Happy Birthday song to me and I smiled even wider once they gave me a chance to blow out the candles.

They looked just the same. Dad still had his mousy brown hair kept neatly and his thin mustache suited him as always. His bright grey eyes lit up when he walked in moments ago and now his smile gave way to crinkles at the side of his eyes.

Mum still kept her copper hair in a neat bun at the top of her head. She always looked beautiful, even without the overload of make-up. People used to tell me I looked a lot like her but I refused to believe them. I didn't compare to her good looks. And besides, I had my Dad's stormy grey eyes instead of my Mum's deep violet blues.

"Happy sweet sixteen, love," Dad said with a smile on his lips as he kissed me on the forehead.

"We've gotten you something extra special for today," Mum said, smiling so brightly.

I didn't see anything that resembled a package hiding robes in its contents. In fact, my parents weren't bringing anything with them except for the cake. Dr. Orwell walked through my cell door and my eyes narrowed at him slightly. I didn't trust him.

Dr. Orwell was a middle-aged man, probably in his early 50's. The small rim of rather persevering hair gave way to a bald spot bright enough to light up a room. He had a large stomach, and a big bar mustache right under his nose.

"We've convinced Dr. Orwell to release you," Dad said excitedly. My eyes brightened up.

"What?" I said. "Why?"

Dr. Orwell cleared his throat, assessing his little clipboard with a small smile. "Well, Jules, our passed therapy sessions have brought great results. You've been doing well enough to pack your bags and get out of here."

I was shocked. I didn't think I was doing well at all, to be honest. These people have got to be joking. I guess suppressing my anger has finally paid off. "Oh," I said quietly. "Thank you."

Dr. Orwell nodded with a wan smile. "You still have to take your medications though. Just to be sure." He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and handed me a bottle full of pills.

"Sure thing, doc," I told him, getting up from my bed and heading to the dresser beside my bed to start packing.

"I'll help you with that," Mum said, taking out the small amount of clothes I had in the dresser.

I was elated, no doubt about it. I could get my old life back. I could read whatever I wanted. I could be _normal_ for once.

Moments passed by quickly and I had said good byes to the few friends I had made at the Institution, the elderly nurse, the tall bearded guy who always sat at the bench near the nurses' station, and the little girl next door. I was sitting at the backseat of my Dad's secondhand Ford Anglia. I had to smile when I saw it. I was the one who pressed my parents to get it after we passed by it on a walk.

It was an hour drive back to our house in Surrey. I was so happy to see that almost nothing changed except for the fact that the petunias were changed into tulips since the last time I saw them. Nevertheless, it was still the same house. The same brick walls. The same white picket fence. The same chimney at the side of the house and the same magnolia tree at the back barely visible from the front. The engine roared as it pulled to a stop at the front of the house. I looked out the window, happy to see it again. That was when I noticed the small movement of the curtains at the 2nd floor window.

"_Juliette_!" I squealed, jumping out of the car just as the front door opened to reveal my little sister. She looked like the same little sister I left behind. The only difference was, her pink ribbons were now replaced by sunglasses and her pink princess gowns now replaced by short black numbers. It shocked me. Even though, I was still half-expecting her to run out and meet me in a passionate hug but no such luck. It bewildered me.

She stood haughtily at the door, arms crossed, chin jutted out.

"So you're finally home." She drawled out. She sounded sarcastic.

"Yeah," I said, beaming, spreading out my arms to invite her for a hug. "Aren't you happy your big sis is back? I bet you missed me like crazy."

"_Please_," she said, flipping her long mane of blonde hair. Wait, her hair was _not _blonde. "You're _mad_.Stop flattering yourself." She spit out the word _mad _as if it was the name of the girl she hated the most at school. I flushed.

"Juliette," my mother said in warning, giving my sister a small glare. "Pay some respect! She is still your sister."

Juliette rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned on her heel and sauntered off inside the house, hips swaying a tad too much.

I leaned to Mum a bit to whisper in her ear once Juliette was out of earshot. Dad closed the front door behind me and hung the car keys on the hook.

"What happened to her, mum?" I asked curiously. "And what in heaven's name happened to her hair?" I remember my sister being such a sweet and kind little thing before I left. We got along so well, we were each other's best friends.

"She dyed it blonde." Mum sighed, tired. "When you left, she changed. Probably the lack of an older sister did that to her."

I flinched, pained by her words. She noticed and backtracked. "N-not that I blame you, dear. You had no power over what happened."

Dad decided to speak up as well as he picked up the remote for the new telly which wasn't there the last time I was in the house. "She chose to change, Jules. It's not your fault."

I simply nodded in reply and started heading upstairs for my old room as mum headed for the kitchen.

"Are you hungry, dear?" Mum asked, putting on her apron to start lunch. "We still have that cake we brought for you."

"No thanks, mum," I said quietly, eager to get to my room and to my books. "I'll wait for lunch."

"Lunch will be ready in jiff," she said, happily chopping potatoes as I bounded up the staircase, my bag in tow.

I hopped onto the landing to find Juliette staring at me through her opened door. Once she saw me, her eyes narrowed into slits, much like a snakes, and slammed the door so hard a vase nearly fell off the table if I hadn't grabbed it in time. I shook my head.

"What in the world is her problem?" I muttered as I passed by her door. I walked a little more down the hall to find my door, looking like how I left it two years ago.

I inhaled a big gulp of air and beamed. "Finally."

I turned the knob bursting through the door in uncontainable excitement. The big smile slipped off my face in an instant. I couldn't believe it. The big shelf I had for books only was empty. And I mean, _empty_. Not a single book left. I gasped in horror and started looking frantically around my room.

"It has to be here," I muttered madly. "It _has_ to be!"

I opened every drawer, overturned the mattress, looked under the bed, pushed away the cabinet, opened the trunk, _nothing_. I slumped down to the floor, overtaken by sobs. I couldn't stop the fat tears running down so fast on my cheeks. I was delirious.

"Where are they?" I said angrily. "_WHERE ARE MY HARRY POTTER BOOKS_?!"

Dad burst into the door then and he looked horrified at what I had done to my room. Everything was out of place. His eyes roamed the room until they finally fell on me, sobbing uncontrollably on the floor like a baby.

"Jules!" Dad yelled and knelt down beside me to give me a hug. "Shh, it's okay, dear. Everything is –"

I pushed him away angrily and stood. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"Where are what?" Dad yelped.

"My Harry Potter books!" I yelled derisively. "And all my other books."

Dad got up from the floor and put his hands on my shoulders. "Jules, calm down. Calm down, we've kept them hidden. We thought you didn't need them anymore after you've found other hobbies in the institution – "

"Tell me where you've kept them hidden!" I yelled at him, trying to push him off. "WHERE ARE THEY HIDDEN?!"

Just then, mum and Juliette burst through the doors, looking at the mess I've made. Mum gasped and Juliette laughed in a very unkind manner.

"I told you mum!" she yelled, pointing at me. "She's a lunatic! All she ever thinks about are her stupid Harry Potter books and the so called _magic_ that's supposedly in her! She's mad, barking mad I te – "

I lunged at her then, grabbing her hair and scratching at her. "_I AM NOT MAD!_" I screeched.

Mum and Dad tried to pull us apart but my grip on her was viselike and the blows I dealt on her stronger than what I've ever done before. I didn't know my own strength as blood spurted out of her nose. She shrieked at me and started hitting me as hard as she could. I thought I was winning when Juliette shoved me so forcefully, I stumbled back. I couldn't keep my balance as I flailed around for something to hold on to. Dad stretched his hand out to me to grab me, a look of utmost horror in his eyes but I already felt the hard blow of something hard hitting me.

No fancy light shows and whirling vision greeted me as I went under. All I could hear was the muffled sounds of my parents shouting and crying until the sounds rose into a large gushing sound much like a raging river. Then the sound disappeared, replaced by a loud _WOOSH _and loud ringing. This went on for who knows how long before I heard nothing completely.

The world was black and I was gone.

* * *

**Here's chapter 2 everyone! I know it's still pretty foggy but I'm getting there and we're jumping into the main story line pretty soon. I know Fred hasn't really come out into the story, heck, not even the whole of the Wizarding World has come out but as I said, I'm getting there. **

**I have a question, am I moving too fast? I can't tell for sure if I'm moving too fast or too slow.**

**Please review and tell me your opinion! Criticism is appreciated if it helps me improve.**

**Thanks for reading! **


End file.
